The consumption of certain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), mainly through food or beverage compositions is beneficial for diverse health concerns. The strong scientific evidence on the health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids is supported by more than 6.000 published studies. They suggest that diets rich in omega-3 very long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (EPA and DHA) help maintaining the performance of the heart and the cardiovascular system by reducing the levels of triglycerides (fats) in the blood, by supporting the blood pressure regulation and maintaining a regular heartbeat. In addition, omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids have demonstrated their beneficial effects on the maintenance of healthy bones and joints particularly due to prevention of inflammation. Mounting evidence also suggests that omega-3 PUFAs have positive effects on schizophrenia, depression, Alzheimer's disease, neurodevelopmental and other psychic disorders. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids also play an important role during pregnancy and in infant development.
Omega-3 and omega-6 PUFAs are considered essential to health, and are thus when used as ingredients of functional foods, providing a multitude of benefits unmatched by other food ingredient.
Nutrition in the Western Hemisphere is by some scientists considered to have an imbalance of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, with too high proportion of omega-6 fatty acids. It is therefore recommended by many to increase the intake of omega-3 fatty acids.
Food fortification with PUFAs, and in particular long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, is therefore highly desirable. However, despite large efforts made from the oil and food industries, it is still a challenge to prepare palatable food and beverage products due to oxidative deterioration of the omega-3 fatty acids and the sources thereof leading to off-flavour formation and poor storage stability.
A good initial quality with a clean sensory profile of the source of PUFAs is a key aspect in this kind of food fortification. The most common sources of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids are fish oils (DHA and EPA) from various sources including salmon, cod, menhaden and tuna eye socket, as well as algae sources (DHA). Other marine and plant oils and fats are sources of PUFAs as well.
Lipid oxidation rendering to rancidity is a problem connected to fish oil and fish fat-rich products during storage and processing.
Unpleasant side effects of ingesting fish oil supplements like halitosis, eructation and “fishy” smelling breath, skin and even urine have been reported. Objectionable fishy off-flavours due to volatile fish oil oxidation products is thus an obstacle in the development of fish oil enriched foods and beverages.
It is a major challenge for the food industry to overcome the undesirable side effects typically associated with the use of PUFA ingredients, such as strong fishy flavours and aromas.
Moreover, whey protein has well documented nutritional advantages. Whey has the highest biological value of all proteins, it contains all essential amino acids, which are vital for human metabolism, and to make human body function properly for good health. Whey also boasts the highest concentrations of branched chain amino acids (BCAA's) found in nature. BCAA's are an important source of energy during exercise and play a key role in protein synthesis. This makes whey the most popular protein for athletes and sport people.
Encapsulation of the fish oil is one of the most promising methods to prevent oxidation and therefore, rancidity of foods containing fish oil.
Furthermore, the high degree of susceptibility of such omega-3 oils makes a case for microencapsulation in a matrix that makes them suitable for food applications. For instance as disclosed in International patent application WO 9401001, which relates to microencapsulation of an oil or fat having a content of at least 10% highly unsaturated fatty acid by homogenising a mixture of the oil and an aqueous solution of a caseinate at a pressure above 200 bar. The resulting emulsion is then dried by using methods known per se to obtain free flowing microcapsules.
Besides stabilising these omega-3 oils, microencapsulation provides compositions that may be favourable to include in various food products also for other reasons such as convenience of addition; product compatibility; protection from secondary thermal processes like baking and extrusion; prevention of ingredient interactions (as, for example, DHA interacts negatively with certain artificial colours and flavours); and, above all, to extend shelf life of the fortified food.
Among the numerous processes known for producing microencapsulated oil, proteins from plant, egg or milk, including whey, are involved as microencapsulating agents.
US patent application having publication no. 2004/0062846, relates to creamer compositions and methods of making and using the same. These compositions comprise a primary (microparticulated) and a secondary ingredient component. The primary microparticulated ingredient component comprises 0.1-80% of a fat/oil component, and 0.1-70% of a microparticulated protein component. The secondary ingredient comprises an emulsifier and a bulking agent. The protein sources mentioned are plant proteins, dairy proteins, animal proteins and mixtures thereof. The process of preparing the creamer composition requires heating of the oil/fat until liquefaction, then addition of water and agitation, and furthermore addition of protein which is already microparticulated and then a two step homogenization firstly at 30 to 100 bar, and secondly at 100 to 300 bar. The obtained composition should be subjected to one or more sterilization processes to render microbiological stability. This process is rather cumbersome and expensive due to the large number of different steps and many essential ingredients.
In International patent application WO 03/090560, compositions of protein and fatty acid useful as food or beverage compositions are disclosed. The compositions are prepared by combining the protein component with the lipid component to form a protein/lipid mixture, and subjecting this mixture to a condition selected from the group consisting of: (a) high shear conditions, (b) homogenization, and combinations thereof. Microparticulation is not mentioned. In the said process addition of emulsifiers and minerals are preferred in order to avoid rupture of the oil vesicles during homogenization.
It is now surprisingly found that by microparticulating a whey protein component and a lipid component simultaneously, a composition of high concentration of fatty acid material, which is stable, pasteurized, organoleptically appealing with long shelf life and thereby useful for a variety of purposes, especially as ingredient to foods and beverages, is obtained. The said composition is capable of being subjected to UHT (ultra high temperature) treatment if necessary. Moreover, the composition obtained has a high content of whey protein which is very desirable for athletes and sports people.